18th Week of Pregnancy

Your baby is 5.6 inches and weighs about 6.7 ounces in the 18th week of your pregnancy. It now grows rapidly and this can make you feel more hungry.

Baby’s growth and development

The baby at this week yawns, takes hiccups, and is even able to suck and swallow. It can twisting, roll, punch and kick too. And as it is quite big enough, you can feel the movements occasionally.

Mother’s development

Changes You Experience

You are bound to gain a little weight again this week because your baby is still growing and your uterus is becoming larger to accommodate your baby. This is the time when you will have constant backache because of the growing size of your uterus which is causing the center of gravity of your body to change thereby making your back to shift its position, which results in backache. Your muscles are also aching because of pregnancy hormones.

Flatulence continues to trouble pregnant women. Same is the case with varicose veins, bleeding gums and stretch marks. If these problems aggravate, one must consult the doctor and get proper treatment. Leg cramps are a common problem during the 18th week. The mother’s sleep at night may be interrupted by shooting pain in the ankles. Stretching before sleeping helps in reducing the pain.

As the body requires extra fluid to support the baby as well as the mother, there may be mild swelling in ankles and feet (due to gravity, fluid accumulates there) .This can be avoided by keeping the legs elevated for most of the time. Skin, hair and nail changes are a part of this period. Eczema, pimples and redness pose a nuisance for the mothers.

An Important Tip

Indigestion is quite common in pregnancy. This can be avoided by following some simple tips. Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and take small meals to fit your changing digestive system. These few simple steps will help you to overcome the problem of heartburn also.